Posted on 11/10/2006 6:37:08 PM PST by CedarDave
Howard Ortega joined the Navy in 1943 and went to war aboard the submarine USS Lagarto. He never returned, and the fate of Ortega and 86 crewmates remained a mystery for six decades until divers found the sub 150 miles off the coast of Thailand.
mms://216.139.229.126/11-10-06usslagarto.wmv
Hey Ma!
ping
Very interesting.
Forever guarding our Liberty
The following is a listing of submarines on Eternal Patrol with their entire crews:
USS SHARK I (SS-174) 11FEB42 58 LOST
Japanese Surface Attack, Makassar Strait, Celebes Island
USS GRUNION (SS-216) 30JUL42 70 LOST
Unknown causes off Kiska Island, Aleutians
USS ARGONAUT I (SS-166) 10JAN43 105 LOST
Japanese Surface Attack in Java Sea
USS AMBERJACK I (SS-219) 16FEB43 74 LOST
Japanese Air/Surface Attack in Solomon Sea
USS GRAMPUS I (SS-207) 5MAR43 71 LOST
Japanese Surface Attack, Solomon Islands
USS TRITON I (SS-201) 15MAR43 74 LOST
Japanese Surface Attack off New Guinea
USS PICKEREL I (SS-177) 3APR43 74 LOST
Japanese Surface Attack off Honshu, Japan
USS RUNNER I (SS-275) JUN43 78 LOST
Possible Japanese Mine between Midway Island and Japan
USS POMPANO I (SS-181) SEP43 76 LOST
Possible Japanese Mine off Honshu, Japan
USS GRAYLING I (SS-209) 12SEP43 76 LOST
Unknown causes along approaches to Manila, P.I.
USS CISCO (SS-290) 28SEP43 76 LOST
Japanese Air/Surface Attack in Sulu Sea
USS DORADO I (SS-248) 12OCT43 76 LOST
Air Attack in S.W. Atlantic
USS WAHOO I (SS-238) 11OCT43 80 LOST
Japanese Air/Surface Attack in La Perouse Strait off Japan
USS CORVINA (SS-226) 16NOV43 82 LOST
Japanese Submarine Attack off Truk
USS CAPELIN (SS-289) 2DEC43 78 LOST
Unconfirmed Japanese Surface Attack in Celebes Sea
USS SCORPION I (SS-278) 5JAN44 76 LOST
Possible Japanese Mine in Yellow Sea off China
USS GRAYBACK I (SS-208) 27FEB44 80 LOST
Japanese Air/Surface Attack off Okinawa
USS TROUT I (SS-202) 29FEB44 81 LOST
Japanese Surface Attack in Philippine Sea
USS GUDGEON I (SS-211) 12MAY44 78 LOST
Japanese Air/Surface Attack in Northern Marianas
USS HERRING (SS-233) 1JUN44 84 LOST
Japanese Shore Battery off Matsuwa Island, Kuriles
USS S-28 (SS-133) 4JUN44 50 LOST
Foundered off Hawaiian Islands
USS GOLET (SS-361) 14JUN44 82 LOST
Japanese Surface Attack off Honshu, Japan
USS ROBALO (SS-273) 26JUL44 78 LOST
Possible Japanese Mine off Palawan 4 POWs
USS HARDER I (SS-257) 24AUG44 79 LOST
Japanese Depth Charge Attack off Luzon, P.I.
USS SEAWOLF II (SS-197) 30OCT44 99 LOST
USS ROWELL off Morotai Island
USS ESCOLAR (SS-294) 17OCT44 82 LOST
Possible Japanese Mine in Yellow Sea off China
USS SHARK II (SS-314) 24OCT44 87 LOST
Japanese Depth Charge Attack off Formosa
USS ALBACORE I (SS-218) 7NOV44 86 LOST
Possible Japanese Mine between Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan
USS GROWLER I (SS-215) 8NOV44 85 LOST
Possible Japanese Surface Attack in South China Sea
USS SCAMP I (SS-277) 11NOV44 83 LOST
Japanese Surface Attack in Tokyo Bay area
USS SWORDFISH I (SS-193) 12JAN45 89 LOST
Possible Japanese Surface Attack or Mine off Okinawa
USS BARBEL I (SS-316) 4FEB45 81 LOST
Japanese Air Attack off entrance to Palawan Passage
USS KETE (SS-369) MAR45 87 LOST
Unknown causes between Okinawa and Midway
USS TRIGGER I (SS-237) 28MAR45 89 LOST
Japanese Air/Surface Attack in East China Sea
USS SNOOK I (SS-279) 8APR 45 84 LOST
Unknown causes off Formosa
USS LAGARTO (SS-371) 4MAY45 85 LOST
Japanese Surface Attack in Gulf of Siam
USS BONEFISH I (SS-223) 18JUN45 85 LOST
Japanese Surface Attack off Honshu, Japan
USS BULLHEAD (SS-332) 6AUG45 84 LOST
Japanese Air Attack off Bali Coast
USS THRESHER II (SSN-593) 10APR63 129 LOST
Operational off New England Coast
USS SCORPION II (SSN-589) 22MAY68 99 LOST
Possible Torpedo Detonation off Azores
Excellent find.
Thank you for your post and link.
It was a special breed of men that served on these things. Thank God for them.
Thailand?
Amen
Amen.
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
From Wikipedia:
USS Lagarto (SS-371), a Balao-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the lagarto, a lizard fish.
More - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Lagarto_%28SS-371%29
I can't hear the Navy Hymn without bawling like a baby.
I sent an email with the links to the story to "On Eternal Patrol" in Honolulu.
Then you don't want me to post the link to that,...eh?
Your list looked a little short, so I looked some more:
Submarines Lost on Patrol During World War II
1941
USS SEALION (SS-195)
1942
USS S-36 (SS-141)
USS S-26 (SS-131)
USS SHARK (SS-174)
USS PERCH (SS-176)
USS S-27 (SS-132)
USS S-39 (SS-144)
USS GRUNION (SS-216)
1943
USS ARGONAUT (SS-166)
USS AMBERJACK (SS-219)
USS GRAMPUS (SS-207)
USS TRITON (SS-201)
USS PICKEREL (SS-177)
USS GRENADIER (SS-210)
USS RUNNER (SS-275)
USS R-12 (SS-89)
USS GRAYLING (SS-209)
USS POMPANO (SS-181)
USS CISCO (SS-290)
USS S-44 (SS-155)
USS DORADO (SS-248)
USS WAHOO (SS-238)
USS CORVINA (SS-226)
USS SCULPIN (SS-191)
USS CAPELIN (SS-289)
1944
USS SCORPION (SS-278)
USS GRAYBACK (SS-208)
USS TROUT (SS-202)
USS TULIBEE (SS-284)
USS GUDGEON (SS-211)
USS HERRING (SS-233)
USS GOLET (SS-361)
USS S-28 (SS-133)
USS ROBALO (SS-273)
USS FLIER (SS-250)
USS HARDER (SS-257)
USS SEAWOLF (SS-197)
USS SHARK II (SS-314)
USS TANG (SS-306)
USS ESCOLAR (SS-294)
USS ALBACORE (SS-218)
USS GROWLER (SS-215)
USS DARTER (SS-227)
USS SCAMP (SS-277)
1945
USS SWORDFISH (SS-193)
USS BARBEL (SS-316)
USS KETE (SS-369)
USS TRIGGER (SS-237)
USS SNOOK (SS-279)
USS LAGARTO (SS-371)
USS BONEFISH (SS-223)
USS BULLHEAD (SS-332)
Other U.S. Submarine Losses
1915 - USS F-4 (SS-23)
1917 - USS F-1 (SS-20)
1919 - USS G-2 (SS-27)
1920 - USS H-1 (SS-28)
1923 - USS O-5 (SS-66)
1925 - USS S-51 (SS-162)
1927 - USS S-4 (SS-109)
1939 - USS SQUALUS (SS-192)
1941 - USS O-9 (SS-70)
1963 - USS THRESHER (SSN-593)
1968 - USS SCORPION (SSN-589)
http://www.maritime.org/subslost.htm
And, of course, the CSS Huntley.
I got a soft spot for those guys in the sub navy. I can't imagine the amount of courage it took to climb into a tube and then sink it on purpose.
Thanks for the link.
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